An Office Worker Surrounded by Monsters

[Rescue people from danger, but don't ask where the danger came from.]

When Shen Youning woke up, he felt like he'd eaten some poisonous mushrooms.

Everything in his home had come alive, squealing, running and jumping around.

The bed was sitting there with its legs crossed, smoking. A gap in the mattress split open like a mouth, and the cigarette inside screamed and writhed, trying to escape. The bespectacled dining table was reading a book, all refined and scholarly in a rather eerie way. The book, though, was in its hands, or rather, between its table legs, telling a bawdy story with great passion and at the top of its voice. A moment later, a wineglass couldn't stand the filth any longer. It hopped over and kicked the book away, only to be crushed under one of the dining table's legs in a fit of anger...

No. That's enough.

Looking at the chaos in his home, Shen Youning felt an outrage that swallowed up all sense of absurdity.

That damn job of mine is hard enough already. When I get home, all I want is to sleep in peace.

Is that so hard? Huh?

He went out to the balcony and grabbed a hammer. The hammer opened its mouth, too. Before it could say a word, Shen Youning threw it to the ground and stomped on it again and again, until it finally gave up.

Then Shen Youning used the hammer to smash his home to pieces.

Nobody makes a damn sound in my home.

.

Shen Youning knew he was going crazy. Wasn't talking to objects crazy enough? Other people who went crazy chatted with plants or animals... at least those were alive!

And the people around him were starting to get strange, too. His neighbor left a trail of slime wherever he walked. His coworker's eye sockets were packed with a dozen or more eyes. Even the fried dough sticks the smiling woman at the breakfast stall downstairs handed him turned out to be the bloody spine of some animal...

Worst of all, his ex-boyfriend, whom he'd broken up with ages ago and who was a little creepy, suddenly showed up in front of him and wormed his way into every corner of his life.

He was also his client, his business partner, and his god.

Life was unbearable. As if things weren't bad enough, they just kept getting worse. Shen Youning thought bitterly.

But he'd noticed that every time he encountered a monster, his ex-boyfriend just happened to be passing by and protecting him...

Shen Youning narrowed his eyes. His instincts told him something was off.

"Hey... don't bite. Are you a dog?"

Shen Youning was damp all over, his eyes wet too. He irritably lifted his eyelids and glared at Lu Jun.

Lu Jun gave a shameless, low chuckle, then leaned down and gently kissed his eyes.

They had actually met a long time ago, back when Lu Jun first "opened his eyes" to the world.

It didn't matter that Shen Youning didn't remember.

It didn't matter that he broke up with him, ran off to another city, or ignored him...

He had all the time in the world. He would gradually, imperceptibly, insinuate himself into Shen Youning's life.

[Sinister tentacled eldritch god gong x irritable, universally beloved (ordinary?) office worker shou]

Coming soon: Walking the Dog

[Mad gong who pretends to be obedient and doglike x proud, aloof, flirtatious young master shou]

Jiang Yuru was the young master of the Jiang family, and a notorious figure in Jiangcheng. One reason was that the Jiang family wielded immense power, and he was especially ruthless. Another was that he had a face favored by heaven.

Everyone who had met him said Jiang Yuru was stunning. Calling him handsome didn't do his face justice. It was more like a sharp, icy beauty: elegant and dashing, yet aloof and pale.

"Shame he's a bastard."

No one said such things openly, but in dark corners, there were always people whispering maliciously,

"So what if he's capable? Isn't he still just a knife, a dog, for the Jiang family?"

Wei Chibai was the latest dog Jiang Yuru had picked up. He was utterly loyal and obedient, and took care of all the dirty, backbreaking work. He was very useful. Only when he and Jiang Yuru were in bed did a trace of forcefulness show through, along with a fierce edge and an uncontrollable yearning.

Jiang Yuru didn't take it seriously.

As he saw it, two grown men were solving a problem together, with both parties willing. What could possibly go wrong?

Jiang Yuru was usually an excellent judge of character. Unfortunately, this time, Wei Chibai caught him completely off guard.

Wei Chibai seemed a little crazy.

Jiang Yuru jingled the handcuffs on his wrist and looked at Wei Chibai with the curiosity of someone seeing him for the first time.

[Once I get out, I'm going to kill him.] Jiang Yuru thought, then gave Wei Chibai a smile.

Jiang Yuru wasn't one to smile. He was always aloof and superior, and even when he killed his enemies, he remained indifferent, without a trace of pleasure. He was also in poor health, always looking sickly. His skin had an unhealthy pallor, and the slightest draft could leave him coughing for days.

Wei Chibai treated Jiang Yuru like he was afraid he might melt if held too tightly or break if held too carelessly. He kept an eye on him every moment, terrified something might go wrong. Jiang Yuru had so many enemies, so many people wanted him dead. Wei Chibai was always on edge, thinking that if he looked away for a moment, Jiang Yuru might die in some desolate wilderness.

He hardened his heart, thinking that someone so cold-hearted deserved to be locked up by him for the rest of his life.

But then Jiang Yuru sat there and smiled at him.

At that one smile, Wei Chibai thought, trying to find comfort in his misery, that even if Jiang Yuru really did take his life once he got out, he'd gladly give it to him.

Theme: Bring a positive attitude to work.